IndyBlog

Drake report slated for next week

The long-awaited report on how and when to decommission the downtown coal-fired Drake Power Plant will be presented during the Utilities Board meeting that begins at 1 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 19. City Council serves as Utilities Board.

The meeting will be held in City Council Chambers, 107 N. Nevada Ave., and will be televised on Springs TV.

The presentation, by Navigant Consulting, will summarize the report's findings and alternatives. The session will include questions from the Utilities Board and public comment, the city says in a news release.

The Board will discuss a decision process, timelines and other factors that need to be considered, including the 2012 Electric Integrated Resource Plan, additional public input, and the upcoming recommendation from the Utilities Policy Advisory Committee regarding the Energy Vision. A Board decision on the organization's future energy supply is expected by summer, 2014.

The report contains 12 alternatives, compared according to expected cost (Financial Return on Investment, or FROI), and Sustainability (Sustainability Return on Investment, or SROI). SROI modeling includes expected costs as well as potential environmental and social costs and impacts. As an example, the SROI modeling includes significant additional costs associated with potential future regulations for greenhouse gas emissions (CO2).

Study results indicate the least-cost option is continued operation of Drake for 30 years. The most favorable sustainability alternative, considering potential environmental and social costs, is retiring the facility in 2019. Mid-term (nine to 15 years) decommissioning options were also analyzed.

Go here to read public comments already submitted and read the entire report.